Broken ties - betrayal
by FlyingWolf29
Summary: *Spoilers* An alternate take on the episode Broken Ties. Because I think Sheppard has better hand-to-hand combat skills than what they let us see. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Ok so, first story to be published, I'd appreciate any constructive criticism. And if anyone wants to beta, feel free to PM me :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Stargate/Stargate: Atlantis characters. I simply borrow them to play then give them back, more or less in one piece. First part was taken from the GateWorld transcript of the Broken Ties episode, I simply meddled with it a bit to put it to my liking :) Thank you Callie Sullivan.**

 _After Tyre completes the withdrawal process, he brings the Atlantis rescue team to the world on which the Wraith lab is located and, hopefully, where Ronon was taken. Having planted explosives to destroy the place once their mission is completed, they make their way into the Wraith equivalent of an elevator. Once everyone is inside, Tyre activates the controls and a transporter beam whisks them away and deposits them elsewhere in the facility. The group moves on, then stops, as Ronon walks into view._

 _"Ronon!" Sheppard says, surprise, happiness and a bit of uncertainty showing on his face._

 _"Sheppard." Ronon says, smiling. "It's about time."_

 _"What's going on, buddy?" Sheppard asks, frowning._

 _From behind Ronon, the Wraith leader walks into view._

 _"We were beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up." It says._

 _Lorne and his team spin around, guns raised, as Wraith guards walk in behind the group, aiming their stunners at them._

 _"You're at a disadvantage." The Wraith commander says. "You can attempt an escape but you'll have to sacrifice your friend's life to do so."_

 _Sheppard aims his rifle at it, then says, to his friend. "Ronon, get out of the way"._

 _"I can't do that." He answers._

 _Ronon doesn't budge, and John stares at him in shock. On the Colonel's right, Tyre quickly moves forward, grabbing Teyla from behind. He wraps his arm around her neck, holding a knife to her throat._

 _"His life won't be the only one forfeit." He says, looking intently at Sheppard._

 _"Tyre!" Teyla gasps, shock visible on her face._

 _Ignoring her, Tyre simply addresses the Atlanteans. "Lower your weapons."_

 _Rodney and Lorne's team look to their military commander, who reluctantly lowers his P90. The others follow suit. As Ronon walks towards John, the Wraith commander orders the guards. "Take them away."_

 _"Ronon, what's happening here?" Sheppard asks, stealing a glance at Teyla to make sure she is alright, worry for his teammate clenching his gut._

His attention snaps back to Ronon, seeing the big guy rushing towards him. John's eyes widen at the sight of the ex-runner's fist and his instincts kick in. He leans to the left, using his right hand to deflect Ronon's punch, then lifts it to join his left in a tense guard. He sidesteps to the left, putting distance between the big Satedan and himself, then narrows his eyes as he starts thinking of different maneuvers he could use to safely subdue his friend.

"Sheppard." Ronon growls, turning to face the Colonel after his punch was deflected. With a feral yell, he throws himself towards the slender man, propelling his fist with great strength. Keeping his guard up, the colonel jumps back , then to the right. Sheppard then rushes towards Ronon and throws him off-balance by tackling him at his midsection, taking them both to the ground. Rising again, John barely avoids another of the ex-runner's punch by stepping to the right. Unfortunately, the Satedan seems to have foreseen his move, and Sheppard walks right into the big guy's second punch. The force of it sends him careening into the wall, having him end up on his knees. Shaking his head, he looks up just in time to see a foot heading towards him.

Not having much room to escape Ronon's kick, John curses under his breath and dodges using a roll to the left. Getting back to his feet, he gets distracted from his opponent by suddenly having the Wraith leader in his face, grabbing at his throat and jerking him forward, closing the distance between them.

"Your resistance is entertaining, but futile." It growls, sneering in his face. From behind him, he can hear sounds of a struggle.

"John!" Teyla calls, fear lacing her voice.

Scrunching his face and wincing at the iron grip restricting his airways, John gasps. "Jesus, ever heard of breath mints?"

He makes a show of gagging, then groans as the Wraith tightens his hold and lifts him from the ground, before throwing the Colonel backwards with much force, making him collide with Ronon.

Stunned from the impact, the dark haired pilot cannot recover fast enough to escape the big guy's chokehold, and starts to struggle in earnest as his body's air supply is abruptly cut off.

Grabbing at his friend-turned-foe's arm, he tries to lessen the pressure on his already abused throat, to no avail. Desperately, he starts clawing at the leather-clad limb, trying to get words out, to get Ronon to stop choking him, but the only sounds that escape him are undistinguishable. Weakening, he tries to escape again, elbowing the Satedan as hard as he can, but Ronon simply chuckles at his attempts, the deep sound resonating against his back.

From her position in Tyre's hold, Teyla can only watch helplessly, and fear for her friend and team leader courses through her at the sight of his weakening struggles. She tries calling to her Pegasus-born friend, pleading. "Ronon! Please, stop!" To her left, one of the Marines lets out a yell and rushes to his commanding officer's aid, only to be stunned by one of the Wraith guards, dropping like a rock to the ground.

Next to Teyla, Rodney stares at the events unfolding before him. "Oh my god..." He says in a small voice. "He's killing him..."

Squaring his shoulders, he steps forward towards the struggling duo, ignoring Teyla's call of objection at his attempt, and yells angrily at the former runner. "Ronon, you barbarian, stop! You're going to kill Sheppard! You have to stop!"

As he reaches Ronon, the last thing he sees before he is engulfed in the turquoise aura of a stunner blast is his best friend's face, eyes half-closed, filled with fear at not being able to get air to his lungs. As Rodney falls, unconscious, the Wraith commander gestures at its guards to take the humans away. It waits until the Atlanteans are taken away, then turns to his newest worshipper. Seeing the dark-haired human's eyes close and his struggling stop, it grins.

"Alright, that's enough." It barks to Ronon. "I need this one alive, let him go."

Raising an eyebrow at the Wraith's words, the big Satedan keeps a tight grip on the pilot, feeling him go limp in his hold. "Why?" He asks. "Thought you wanted revenge."

Sneering, the Wraith orders him again. "Enough! Let him go! Do not make me repeat myself, or you will regret it."

Shaking his head with a scoff, he answers, "Fine.", then releases his hold on the Colonel and lets him drop unceremoniously to the floor, unconscious. Turning on his heels, he follows the Wraith leader as two guards grab Sheppard's arms and follow suit.

 **That's it for now, hope you liked it :)**

 **-Wolf**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright people, here we go again :) Enjoy! :)**

Being escorted by the Wraith guards, there was nothing Teyla could do to help the Colonel, and she felt worry eating at her at the memory of her two friends fighting, and at the last vision she had of John, being neutralized, or worse, by a member of his own team, and family. Yes, they were family, she mused. Having been cut-off from their home planet for so long, the Atlanteans had become a surrogate family to the Athosians, and also to her Satedan friend, and Teyla would be eternally grateful to them for the help and support they had provided her people.

As they arrive to what seems to be their future holding cell, Teyla notices that the Wraith have decided to separate Rodney and her from Lorne and the marines that were escorting them. Seeing her friend being dropped in the cell, she kneels next to him to make sure he is alright, keeping a watchful eye on the guards. As the membrane-like door closes, she frowns as she notices that the drones stay in the vicinity of their cell, as if waiting for something.

Hearing shuffling sounds coming from the corridor leading to the room where they have been captured, she averts her gaze from her fallen friend, knowing that he is merely stunned and not injured. Lifting her head, she notices two more guards heading towards their cell, but it is the sight of what they are dragging between them that makes her eyes widen and gets her to the door before she can even process the thought of moving.

"John!" she calls desperately, fearing the worst.

A deep chuckle answers her, and a sliver of cold races down her spine as she realizes that Ronon is following the Wraiths down the corridor, not doing anything to help the man that saved him from his life of as a Runner, as Sheppard is thrown into the cell. Teyla's quick reflexes are barely able to keep his head from impacting with the hard floor.

"Don't worry." He says, smirking. "Seems like he is still useful, so he won't die yet."

Laughing at her shocked face, Ronon leaves, following the Wraith commander towards the dark corridors of the Wraith lab. A smirking Tyre and the drones follow, leaving the trio in their cell, a worried Teyla tending to her fallen teammates.

* * *

Somewhere else in the lab, Lorne smacks his fist against the organic wall of their own cell, cursing. He looks behind him as he hears the Marine that was stunned come back to his senses.

"Hey Johnson, you ok over there?" He asks the Sergeant. A grunt is his answer. Two other Marines help the fallen get back to his feet, supporting him until his legs finally decide to do their job.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Wasn't fast enough." As he looks around him, the young Sergeant realizes what, or in their case, who, is missing. "Where's SGA-1, Sir? Is the Colonel... is he ok, Sir?" he asks, uncertainty tainting his voice.

"No idea." is Lorne's curt answer, anger visible on his face. "Last thing I saw was Ronon choking him..." The Major lets out a sigh, followed by another curse as he smacks his fist against the wall once again.

"That Tyre, he really played us! I can't believe we thought this backstabber wouldn't fall back to his old habits! And what the hell did they do to Ronon? I never thought I'd see the big guy working for the Wraith, of all things!" He hisses at the sting a third hit leaves, shaking his hand and cursing under his breath. "Darn!"

One of the Marines that were tending to Johnson goes towards the Major, reaching for his hand. "Let me have a look, Sir. We need you in one piece if we are to bust our asses out of here." he adds with a smirk.

"It's fine, Sanchez. Thanks." Lorne tells the Lieutenant, who also happens to be a medic. He rolls his eyes as the Marine simply ignores him and examines his hand, declaring that no damage was done.

"So, what's the plan, Sir?" The third Marine, Corporal Tulls, asks, joining his teammates at the door of the cell.

"It's simple, Corporal, we get out of here and we find the Colonel's team. Then we knock some sense into Ronon, kill a couple of Wraith on the way, and as soon as we get far enough from this place, we blow it to bits, using the charges we hid earlier, assuming Tyre didn't go back there to remove them. How's that for a plan?" Lorne adds, smirking at his men.

"Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, Sir" Tulls comments, shrugging at the look his phrasing gathers from the trio, "Anyone still has any C4, or a knife?" He sighs at the negative answers. "Well, so much for the easy part..."

* * *

A groan brings Teyla's attention back to Rodney and, seeing him stir, the Athosian hurries to his side just in time to help him sit up.

"Why am I always getting stunned" he whines, then winces "Ow, ow ow ow! Did I hit my head?" he asks Teyla, touching various parts of his skull. "Oh God, I hope I don't have a concussion, what if I lose my precious brain cells, Zelenka will end up being smarter than me! He'll never let me hear the end of it! Quick, Teyla, check my eyes, are my pupils behaving normally?"

As he turns towards Teyla, he notices the Colonel laying on the other side of the cell, his head resting on Teyla's folded jacket. "Sheppard!" He gasps, then to Teyla, he asks "Is he alright?" At Teyla's saddened look, he starts panicking. "Oh my God, he killed him, didn't he? Conan, that barbaric herculean man, he killed him!"

Raising her hands, Teyla tries to calm him "Dr. McKay, Rodney!" At her raised voice, the astrophysicist stills, then turns his attention back to his teammate.

"He is alive, but he has yet to wake up..." After a moment, she adds "His throat is badly bruised, it seems to be affecting his breathing..."

At this, Rodney's eyes shift back to Sheppard, noticing the difficulty the Colonel seems to be having at drawing a breath, a cough occasionally making its way past the parted lips, and the frown on his face.

After a moment spent in silence, the Canadian seems to realize something, asking Teyla "Where are Lorne and the others? And what about Tyre?"

At the mention of the troublesome Satedan, the Athosian frowns. "It seems we overestimated his recovery, Doctor. As for the others, I believe the Wraith have chosen to separate us in order to make escaping this facility more difficult."

At her words, Rodney nods, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Teyla tries to reassure him, speaking soothingly.

"We will get out of here, Rodney. You must not worry, I believe John will be fine."

At this, the astrophysicist gets up and starts pacing around, shooting glances at his fallen friend.

"Oh, sure. I mean, all we have to do is escape from this cell, right? Well, of course, that's if Mr. _Sleeping Beauty_ over here finally decides to wake up, and maybe we can hope that he didn't get any brain damage from the lack of oxygen." He keeps pacing, his hands in perpetual motion.

"And then, easy, right? I mean, get past all the armed Wraith that are guarding the facility, and free Lorne and his team from wherever _they're_ being held, to get back to the Jumper which is probably being disassembled as we speak because, let's face it, Tyre probably has already told them where we parked it. And - right, of course - we've got to rescue Ronon who, I don't know if you happened to notice or not, isn't quite himself right now" he rants, pointing at Sheppard for emphasis.

Sighing, Teyla simply looks at the doctor, before going back to a sitting position at the Colonel's side. "We will get him back, Rodney. I am sure of it. He is still our friend, no matter what these Wraith may have done to him. When we get back to Atlantis, Dr. Keller will make sure Ronon comes back to us."

"Oh, like Tyre did, right?" Rodney snaps at her, then looks away, mumbling. "Sorry, I guess I'm a bit on edge, what with all that's happening..." he adds, trailing off.

He decides to join Teyla at Sheppard's side, sitting with his back resting on the wall. Biting his lip, he stares at his unconscious friend, then says softly.

"Let's just hope he wakes up soon..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, it's me again! Here's another chapter :D Kinda proud of it, so I hope you guys will like it :)**

 **sheppardlover928, Shazza72,** **thanks a lot for the reviews :) I'm happy you guys like what I have written so far :D**

 **Enjoy!**

Soft murmuring pierces the darkness in which he is floating, making him wonder where he is, and who it is that is talking next to him. As he lays there, memories begin to surface and everything suddenly clicks into place, just as a sharp pain in his throat reminds him of what almost happened and what actually did happen. Involuntarily letting out a gasp at the discomfort, he grabs at his neck at the sting it brings, then flinches as his fingers make contact with the bruise that **must** be there, judging by the feel of it.

His brain finally processes the words that are being spoken to him, that seem to have been repeated quite a bit in the last moments, judging by the urgency in the voice he hears.

 _Who is that, Teyla? Wha... How come I can't see a thing..._ he muses to himself, deciding against uttering any sound. _Oh, right, I should probably open my eyes..._

As the thought emerges, he frowns, trying to open lids that seem to weigh a ton.

Finally, Teyla's words make it through clearly.

"Colonel, John, please open your eyes."

Grunting, Sheppard tries again, this time succeeding in opening his eyes. First, a slice of hazel is visible to Teyla, then, after a few blinks, she is able to look into her team leader and friend's eyes. She gives a relieved sigh at the sight, smiling at the man laying before her.

Her smile turns to a frown as the Colonel attempts to sit up, still holding his throat. Knowing that trying to keep him down is useless, she helps him until he is leaning against the wall next to her.

As Sheppard regains his bearings, the movement having sent his senses spinning, Rodney makes his way from the door of their cell to his friend's side, before crouching.

"Hey there, about time you woke up. I was starting to wonder if we would have to rescue ourselves and drag your skinny butt all around this place." He says with a smirk. Sobering up as the dark-haired man keeps massaging his neck, he adds. "How are you doing? Can you breathe ok?"

At his friend's question, Sheppard simply nods, then rasps out "I'm fi-"

He then starts coughing as the words leave his throat feeling raw.

 _Yeah, definitely a BAD idea... Alright, I get it, no talking for the moment..._ he thinks, trying to get the painful coughs back under control.

Panicking at the sight, Rodney quickly grabs at his water canteen and hands it to the Colonel, helping him get a mouthful of water to soothe his throat.

"There you go, that should help. That's decided, then. No more talking for you, fly-boy." He says, waving a finger at the pilot.

At Sheppard's frown, Rodney starts to say something else but is interrupted by Teyla as she shooes him away and starts examining the Colonel.

As Teyla makes sure that Sheppard is alright and comfortable, McKay gets up again and starts pacing in their cell, waving his hands around and talking to the Colonel.

"So, I'm guessing you want to know what happened, eh? Well, Tyre's recovery was a fluke. Ronon is apparently a Wraith's friend now. What else, oh, we don't have anything to get out of here because they took all of our gear. Lorne and his team are God knows where in this facility, if they are still alive, that is..." He trails off, but at Sheppard's worried look, he starts again. "Well, I mean, last time I, hum, I mean last time Teyla saw them, they were ok!"

He lets out a sigh before rubbing at his face with both hands, then faces the Colonel again. Slapping his fist in his hand, he adds "Don't worry, Sheppard, we'll get them all back. Ronon too, we'll just have to hit him over the head hard enough for him to remember that we're his friends. I mean, come on, he hates those life-sucking aliens, it shouldn't be **that** hard, right? We just have to get our gear back after that, then free Lorne and his team, get back to the Jumper and back to Atlantis we go!"

He shoots a confident smile at his friend, who simply stares back, before slowly nodding at him, a small smile curving his lips.

"Who knew *cough* Dr. Rodney McKay could actually be the glass half-full type..." John croaks out, letting out a few coughs between words.

"No talking!" McKay shushes him again, and _there he goes with that finger waving again. Who does he think I am, a kid?!_ Sheppard thinks as he stares incredulously at Rodney.

From the look on John's face, Teyla senses that their bickering is about to start anew. Before that happens, she interrupts the two men again, telling the Colonel that he should really rest his throat, so talking is really ill-advised at the moment. She silences Rodney's snort with a pointed look, eyebrow raised.

As McKay slowly backs away from the petite Athosian, he turns around to face the entrance of their cell at the sound of footsteps.

He frowns, then steps back, at the sight of a Wraith drone and none other than Tyre, who sports a satisfied grin at the sight of the imprisoned Atlanteans.

"Sheppard" he says, looking past McKay and Teyla. "Get up. You've been summoned."

Hands on his knees, the Colonel pushes himself up and off the wall, the slowly makes his way towards the Satedan. As he passes Rodney, he claps him on the arm, giving him an encouraging smile. "I'll be right back. " he rasps out. Rodney simply stares at Sheppard's back, terrified, as his friend follows Tyre and the Wraith down the corridor.

The corridors are dark and menacing as Sheppard and his captors make their way deeper into the Wraith facility. Still unsteady from his ordeal, the colonel stumbles behind Tyre, before feeling a hand catch the collar of his jacket to keep him from face planting. As he gets his feet to support him again, the Wraith drone releases him, before roughly shoving him forward, almost sending him to the floor once more.

"Geez, make up your mind, you wanna help me or not?" Sheppard mutters at the Wraith.

Tyre sends him an indifferent look, before continuing down another corridor, which leads to a large and dark room, the only light coming from the ceiling and what seems to be another entrance at the end of the room.

Once they have made their way into the room, multiple lights appear from hidden places across the room, giving it an eerie bluish glow and illuminating a tall shape sitting at the table, which is situated on one side of the room. The figure turns around, and, with a start, Sheppard recognizes him.

"Ronon." he whispers roughly, but doesn't add anything else as he remembers their last encounter.

The ex-runner gets up from his seat, then strides confidently towards the Atlantean, grinning all the while. "Hey Sheppard! What's up, buddy?"

 _Buddy?!_ Sheppard thinks as he stares incredulously at the tall man.

At his former team leader's face, Ronon loses his smile. He moves forward again, then leans in close to the Colonel before saying. "I've been asked to... soften you up a little before He comes to see you. Just to make it easier for you, you know. We both know you won't join us without a fight."

Chuckling softly, Sheppard hangs his head, shaking it. "You're wrong, _buddy_. We both know I'm never joining **this** side..."

His head down, he doesn't see the fist coming before it is too late. His head snaps back at the force, and he stumbles into the Wraith drone that was standing behind him. Before he can recover, it pushes him forward again, into another of Ronon's punches. He is left leaning forward, gasping and holding his midsection as the breath is knocked out of him.

A small distance from the aforementioned room, a tall figure clad in a long coat strides purposefully down the corridor, accompanied by two Wraith drones. As it makes it way towards its new faithful worshipper, the Wraith leader curls its lips in a smirk at the sound of flesh hitting flesh. As it steps into the room, the Wraith sneers at the scene before him, before snarling. "Enough! I told you to soften him up, I think he's had enough!"

At the Wraith's words, Ronon stops his movement, fist raised above Sheppard's head. Sensing the big guy's pause, the Colonel lifts his bloodied face to stare at the life-sucking aliens that just entered the room. Standing shakily from his kneeling position, the pilot steps towards the Satedan, before swiftly punching him across the face.

"Come on, Ronon. Snap **out** of it, already!" He grunts, grinding his teeth as the movement pulls at his now tender ribs.

A bark of laugh answers him. Before he can react, he gets twisted around, the ex-runner bending his arm behind his back with one hand and grabbing his hair roughly with the other, pulling his head backwards. He lets out a groan of surprise at the movement, before being pushed towards the Wraith leader.

He winces as the Wraith's cold fingers trail the bruises marring his neck, trying to pull his head back, away from the touch. Ronon's tight grip on his hair prevents any of this, and Sheppard grunts at the Runner's relentless hold.

"I will enjoy the taste of your defiance for as long as it will last, John Sheppard" The Wraith hisses, before slamming its feeding hand on the Colonel's chest. A groan escapes Sheppard at the excruciating pain and he tenses before trying to twist away from the Wraith, but Ronon's hold on his arms and hair stop his movements.

A few painful moments later, the Wraith leader pulls his hand back, and an aged Sheppard sags against the Satedan's chest, Ronon's grip the only thing keeping him upright. Gasping weakly, he doesn't have time to prepare himself as a Wraith hand slams into his chest again. He feels his strength returning to him at the Gift of Life, but he is left trembling as the Wraith lets go of him before nodding at Ronon.

Breathing hard, he lets his legs fold at the knees and as he feels his hair and arms being released from his friend's hands, he uses the adrenaline rush to push back and slam his head against Ronon's nose, throwing him backwards. As he regains his balance, he turns back towards the Wraith, but he is too late to evade as it strikes him across the face, sending him flying across the room. Seeing stars, he lays on the floor, dazed, until Tyre and a Wraith guard pick him up and drop him in a chair, tying his arms behind his back.

Enraged, Ronon is on him in a second, landing punch after punch that leave Sheppard hoping for the darkness to claim him again, to escape this nightmare, if only for a short time.

John hears the Wraith leader ordering the ex-runner to stop, then the pain from the feeding and beatings finally brings a dark veil over his eyes, and he passes out.

 **-Wolf**


	4. Chapter 4

Consciousness comes back like a slap to the face... _Actually, no, scratch that... In this case, consciousness comes back WITH a slap to my face..._ Sheppard thinks groggily, still feeling the sting on his cheek.

He lets out a disgruntled groan as he lifts his head up, feeling the pain of his injuries battling for his attention.

As he opens his eyes, he feels a cold hand roughly grabbing at his throat, forcing him to sit up straighter. His hiss of pain, both at his bruised neck and at what feels like cracked ribs, is covered by the hiss uttered by the Wraith looming over him.

"Sheppard, you are finally back with us." The Wraith commander hisses again. "I was growing tired of waiting for you to wake up. Now, shall we continue?"

At the Wraith's question, the Colonel raises an eyebrow, but his answer is cut off by the hand slamming over his heart.

Pains blossoms in his chest at the impact and he can't keep a yell of pain from escaping his lips as he feels his life-force being painfully taken from him.

Ronon and Tyre watch from the shadows as their leader feeds on the Colonel again and again.

Minutes, then what seems to be hours, blend together as his screams echo into the large room as the Satedans keep watch, unperturbed. Tyre stands away from the wall they were both leaning against, then turns towards his friend.

"He will see the light, comrade." He clasps Ronon's right forearm with his right hand. "Until he sees the Truth for himself, I will go see if our other _guests_ are still doing well." With a smirk at his own words and a last look at Sheppard, he turns around and heads down the corridor towards the holding cells.

* * *

Back at the furthest cell, Lorne and his team are scattered across their cell, looking it over for weak points and discussing their options.

They inventoried their supplies a short time ago and have come up empty-handed, much to Corporal Tulls' chagrin.

"They left us with nothing but our clothes, Sir... I don't have anything left to MacGyver us a bomb or something..." He then lets out a whine before adding. "Aw man, they even took my pack of gum. It was my last one, and the Daedalus is not due back from its next supply run for at least 6 weeks, and that's assuming they will head back to Earth as soon as we come back... Oh and I just _know_ those QM guys will forget about it again. I swear they do it on..." The Marine trails off at his teammates' looks. "What?"

Sanchez looks at him incredulously before asking "Where did you even get a pack of gum? Haven't seen one in years."

"Won it off Dr. Biro a couple of poker nights ago. The Doc has nerves of steel when it comes to medicine and all, but she's got a lousy poker face, I tell ya. I snatched the last one from her hidden stash with a Royal Flush. First one I've ever had too. Damn but I was happy that my luck decided to shine on that night. It was even my favourite flavour." Tulls adds with a sigh, a pout pursing his lips.

Chuckling silently at his team's antics, Lorne is about to say something when a distant yell echoes faintly. Frowning as he recognizes the voice, Lorne, followed by Johnson, Sanchez and Tulls, rushes towards the door of their cell. He barks out to the drones standing guard to let them the hell out, hands grabbing at the web blocking his path. Just as he is about to repeat himself, a scream sounds down the corridor to their right, followed by multiple others. The team grows still and silent, eyes widening at the sound of their military commander's obvious distress.

Curses are uttered under their breath, aimed at the Wraith for their actions and at themselves for not being able to do anything to help the Colonel...

* * *

Pacing back and forth in their own cell, Rodney mutters alternately about equations and then about ways to overpower Ronon, following with escape plans. Being accustomed to his way of coping, Teyla is sitting with her back against the far wall, facing the door to their cell, calmly listening to the astrophysicist ramblings.

She looks up in shock at Sheppard's distant yell of pain, then hurriedly stands up as it turns into screams. Stopping in his tracks, Rodney stares at Teyla in dismay, his hands twisting as an overwhelming anxiety courses through him at the sound of his friend's pain.

As she makes her way towards the webbed exit, movement down the corridor catches her attention. A silhouette appears and as it strides closer, she recognizes Tyre. As the Satedan reaches their confinement, an arrogant smirk stretches his lips. Calmly holding his stare, Teyla asks him about her friend.

"Do not worry, his suffering will be over with before long, and then we will decide what YOUR fate shall be. I wonder what they have in store for you..." Tyre gestures towards McKay. "The Doctor will probably be useful in the labs. As for you..." His smirk grows into a wolfish grin. "Maybe I could ask to have you for myself, as a reward for bringing new blood to His army."

Hearing the threat in the traitor's voice, McKay places himself in front of Teyla, forcing her to take a step back and away from their visitor.

"Seriously? And what kind of lab would that be? Because, as I am sure you know, I am NOT a medical or biological Doctor. For God's sake, I'm a real scientist, not some voodoo priest that needs to shake bones to see whether my work will succeed or not!" With a scowl, he continues his rant. "Oh and don't think you'd be a match for Teyla. Given the chance, she will kick your ass into next week. Oh I'd SO love to see that."

Scoffing at the astrophysicist's words, Tyre leans away from the door and, with a last look towards Teyla, turns away from them and heads deeper into the facility, letting his last words hang in the air.

"I never said you would be helping Them AS a doctor, mister McKay. I simply said you would be useful in the labs, for Their experiments."

The echoes of the Satedan's laughter are still resonating in McKay's ears as he exchanges a terrified look with Teyla, before going to sit back against a wall, fingers drumming against his knees.

"Dr. McKay... Rodney." Teyla repeats, waiting until she is sure his focus is on her. "We will find a way out, do not worry." Letting a small smile show on her face, the Athosian sits by her friend, before reaching in her right boot and extracting a small knife. Blade reflecting the light with a gleam, she adds. "Hope is not lost, Doctor. Have faith in Colonel Sheppard and Ronon, too. We will pull through, together. As we always have and always will."

A trembling smile curling his lips, Rodney lets his head rest on the wall behind him and, closing his eyes, begins thinking of possible escape plans including this new and useful factor.

* * *

Time seems to slow down and as his body trembles with the shock of the feedings, he can feel his heart beating in sync with the ticking of his watch. An eerie out-of-body feeling engulfs him, and his mind flashes with sudden clarity. _I can't fail them, I must NOT give in to these life-sucking bastards!_

As his life is once again returned to him, he grits his teeth before raising his head to stare defiantly at the Wraith standing in front of him.

Scoffing at the sight, the alien releases its hold on the Atlantean before stepping away from the bound man sitting in front of him.

"Your strength is a force to be reckoned, that is true, John Sheppard" the creature sneers. "But it will also be your downfall, human!"

The Wraith angrily backhands the Colonel, sending him and the chair in which he is sitting toppling to the ground. It then turns back towards the darkened corridor from which it arrived and shouts to the drones still standing there.

"Take him back to his cell! I need to get back to the labs and finish preparations for our next step."

With one last look towards its prisoner, it strides out of the room, the end of its long coat swirling in its wake.


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all... So sorry for all this wait ! L(-_-)'' I got lost on the road of life (finished school and started a full-time job at a huuge company with loads of overtime sooo yeah... and got the BPS(blank page syndrome) for a while... First part has been written for months, and the rest I finished a couple of weeks ago but like a dork I forgot to reread/edit and post it, of course XD**

 **Anyway, thanks for your patience, I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it *(^.^)***

* * *

"You had to go through this during all the time you were gone?.."

Sheppard lets out a gasp, then adds "I'm so sorry, Ronon... It took us so long to find you..." as he trails off, he looks away from his friend, head lowering in shame and exhaustion.

A rough hand tears him from the Wraith guards' grips, then he is spun around and hurled against the door frame. The shock of it sends him reeling to the floor, unable to catch his fall due to his hands still being tied behind his back.

"Do not pity me, you Atlantean scum!" The tall Satedan roars, standing over him. "I have been chosen to defeat you, and I won't lose! I will take you down and make Him the leader of the Wraith! Ruler of the galaxy!"

As Ronon throws himself at the Colonel to pummel him with his fists, he is intercepted by a strong grip on his shirt. Turning his head, he growls at the Wraith drone pulling him away from his prey.

"What do YOU think you're doing?! Get your filthy hands off of me!"

The drone huffs before releasing its hold, then pushes Ronon away from their prisoner. It then raises its hands in a placating manner.

"Geez, chill, man." It drawls out in a deep voice. "The boss wants this guy alive, not in pieces." It adds, pointing at Sheppard. "He's got a really important part to play in our future, after all."

"Oh, come on! I told you like a hundred times to stop telling everyone about the boss's plans!" The second, shorter Wraith exclaims, waving its stunner around. "But noooo, Mr. I'll-be-a-commander one-day,-you'll-see just can't keep a frigging secret."

"Frigging? Where the heck did you get that word? Have you been hanging around the test subjects again? And I'll have you know that I have good chances of becoming a commander one day."

"Yeah, right. Just like I have great chances of becoming our Queen's next chosen mate."

"What are you talking about? The Queen has already chosen her... Wait, is that what the humans call Sir Chasm?" The taller drone asks, head tilting to the side. He then turns towards Sheppard and Ronon, adding "You people have weird ways of communicating things. It's no wonder we don't get along. Who's that guy, anyway? Did he even have a first name? Or is Chasm his name?"

At Ronon's shocked face and Sheppard's wide-eyed surprise, the short Wraith rolls its eyes behind its mask and exclaims "What?! Why are you looking at us like we've lost our second head?"

"Pff, Mirx, you're getting your idioms mixed up again. You mean they are looking at us like we've GROWN a second head, not lost it. Although in your case, I could believe them to be lost." the first Wraith says with a chuckle.

From his position on the floor, the Colonel looks from one Wraith to the other, before interrupting them.

"You guys can TALK?" he rasps out, wincing as his throat constricts.

Crossing its arms, the tall Wraith leans threateningly over the pilot "Why are you so surprised about it? Did you think we were simply some mindless drones? We're the Wraith Warriors, the best soldiers in the galaxy!" it adds, puffing its chest proudly.

"Yeah, and you better remember it, punk!" Mirx adds, leaning on its stunner with a fist on his hip.

Glancing at Ronon, Sheppard mouths "Punk?" with a quirked eyebrow, before turning back towards the Wraith. "Where the heck did you learn to talk like that?" he asks.

The one standing over the Colonel straightens then explains "Back when we still had a Hive, we managed to capture a human that had a bug-like dark eye, really creepy, didn't know you humans could mutate like that." it shudders, before adding "The guy was trying to steal our stock of enzyme, can you believe the guts in this guy? Anyway, he kept calling us weird things while he was stuck in his cell and -"

"Vorkall! Shut up! I told you like a hundred times to stop spilling our secrets! Now they know we don't have a Hive anymore, and that a mere human was able to steal from us. Way to go, champ, now we look like losers to them!" throwing its hands in the air, Mirx stomps towards their prisoner and roughly grabs him by the arm, pulling him back up on his feet.

"Alright, I've had enough of this. You're going back to your cell." it pushes Sheppard forward, then points at Ronon. "You go back to wherever the heck you want, and YOU, get the hell out of my sight, I am sick of your stupidity and loose tongue." it jabs Vorkall in the chest with its finger for emphasis.

"Pssh, whatever, I'm going back to the labs." The taller Wraith drone shrugs before heading off, leaving a still befuddled Ronon to himself as Mirx escorts Sheppard down the darkened corridor, muttering about commander wannabees.

* * *

Quickly hiding the knife from sight, Teyla straightens against the wall where she's sitting as she hears shuffling sounds coming their way. Seeing the source of the noise that got his teammate's attention, Rodney gets to his feet as the Colonel and his Wraith escort reach the cell's door. Seeing his friends, Sheppard shares a meaningful glance with Teyla, then straightens from his hunched over position as Mirx opens the cell door. Gathering all the strength he can muster, he throws his weight backwards, putting the Wraith off-balance, before twisting sharply away, trying to free his tied arms from the grip of his captor.

As Mirx tries to keep its hold on its prisoner, Teyla dashes towards the duo, knife in hand, and slashes at the Wraith, opening a deep cut in its left arm. Hissing in pain and surprise, the drone lets go of the Colonel and staggers away from its attacker, giving Teyla enough room and time to quickly slice through the rope around her friend's hands.

Rapidly going back on offensive mode, the Wraith charges at Teyla, intent on getting her out of commission. As Marx raises the stunner, Sheppard tackles the Wraith into the wall by the cell door, making its shot go wide. The Athosian quickly spins around and throws a powerful kick, managing to disarm the Wraith drone. Letting out a growl, Mirx grabs Sheppard by his jacket collar before slamming him into the wall in front of him. Stunned, the Colonel grabs at the hand manhandling him just as the Wraith decides that it's had enough of this troublesome one. With a heave Mirx sends Sheppard tumbling to the ground to his right, then launches itself at Teyla, blocking her knife by roughly grabbing at her wielding arm and twisting it.

Her forearm snapping at the Wraith's brute force, Teyla is forced to let go of her weapon, crying out in pain. From his prone position on the floor, Sheppard struggles to his feet at his teammate's cry, staggering into a column. Shaking his head to clear it, he looks up at his friend in time to see her push her enemy away with a strong forward kick, breaking its painful hold on her arm. Grabbing it herself to keep the bruised limb steady, she steps back to prepare another attack , but as she readies to launch it, a blast of bluish energy shoots past her and drops the Wraith to the ground, unconscious.

Open-mouthed, Sheppard simply stares as McKay shakily comes forward and out of the cell from behind Teyla, still gripping the Wraith stunner with his white-knuckled hands.

"Wow, Mckay... nice shot there!" Sheppard states, before chuckling and stepping unsteadily forward and away from the column.

"Dr. McKay" Teyla adds, giving one last glance to her fallen opponent before turning to the astrophysicist. "Thank you very much for your assistance." She finishes, lightly bowing her head in thanks to her friend.

"I... uh... well I couldn't let you do all the work, right? Had to prove to flyboy over there that _I_ can shoot as well as any of his goons, after all." McKay answers, puffing out his chest and awkwardly trying to cross his arms before fumbling with the large weapon in his hands. Deflating at Sheppard's low chuckle, he simply drops his arms, still holding the stunner.

Teyla smiles at her friend's antics before looking back at the Wraith. "We should..."

"We should..." the Colonel begins to say at the same time. Sharing a smile with Teyla, he continues.

"We should throw him in the cell, that'll teach him."

"Teach him what exactly?" Rodney asks incredulously.

"McKay" At Sheppard's words, the scientist looks at him.

"What?"

"Help me out, will ya?" He rasps out, nodding to the Wraith sprawled on the floor. Frowning, he adds in an afterthought. "Wait, stun him again, just in case."

"Ah, yeah, good plan, don't really want a Wraith waking up as we're dragging its heavy carcass around, right?" Without waiting for an answer that he knew wouldn't come, Rodney simply raises the stunner and shoots the Wraith, pauses, then shoots it a second time.

At Sheppard's look, he shrugs and tells him. "Better be safe than sorry."

Smirking, the Colonel simply grabs one of the Wraith's legs, and with McKay's help, they slowly drag its body into the cell.

Groaning at the strain, Sheppard drops to his knees by the drone, taking a moment to catch his breath after pulling at his bruised ribs with his latest workout. From this position, he gingerly leans over the Wraith, before removing every weapon he finds.

Taking as deep a breath as he can muster, he slowly gets back to his feet, holding his loot. Slowly stepping out of the cell, he is then joined by Teyla and McKay, whom, after picking up the Athosian's discarded knife, goes by the door controls to try and figure them out.

As Rodney tinkers away, Sheppard quickly shares his new-found treasure with Teyla, which consists of two Wraith grenades, a knife and a handheld stunner. He puts one of the grenades in his pocket, giving the other to Teyla, then puts the small stunner in his pants' waistband, hiding it with his shirt.

"Ah-ha!" The scientist exclaims triumphantly, as the web moves, efficiently closing the entrance to their former cell, trapping the still-unconscious Wraith within its hold. Using Teyla's knife, he severs some connections, rendering the panel useless, before joining his teammates again.

As Rodney approaches, John checks on Teyla's arm, using the knife he found on the Wraith to slice her sleeve, exposing the damaged limb. Grimacing at the sight, he starts to cut a slice of his shirt but McKay stops him, removing his outer jacket and handing it to the pilot.

"Here, use this" Rodney simply says.

Nodding at his friend, Sheppard gratefully lets go of his upper garment, grabs the jacket and cuts strips out of it, using them to bind Teyla's arm. He then uses the remains of the jacket to fashion a makeshift sling for the Athosian, tying the sleeves behind her neck. Satisfied at the color slowly returning to Teyla's face once he's done, Sheppard gives her the handheld stunner, before handing the Wraith knife to McKay and getting the larger stunner from the scientist. Rodney in turn gives Teyla her knife back, before asking her if she's ok. Smiling softly, the Athosian tells her friend "Yes, Rodney, I will be alright. Thank you for asking."

Checking over his teammates, the Colonel nods, before raising his new-found weapon.

"Alright, I'll take point. Teyla, you'll be at our six, Mckay stay between us. Let's go find Lorne and the others."

As the trio makes their way towards the darkened corridor leading away from the Colonel 's meeting room with the Wraith commander, they fail to see the shadow that witnessed the Wraith drone's demise, silently dart away from them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! Thanks for your patience, here is the next chapter, which has been dormant in my computer for MONTHS (I'm very sorry about that). Finally found the inspiration to finish the scene I was writing. Hopefully the rest will come more easily :) Hope you like it, enjoy!**

* * *

"Anybody else think this place has been way too calm for way too long?" Corporal Tulls asks from his seated position against the wall.

"Don't jinx it, Tulls." Johnson simply answers him, not even stopping his latest round of examination of the webs keeping them from freedom.

"What are you even looking for, Sergeant?" Sanchez asks from his position by the wall.

"A weak spot, of course." At the Lieutenant's question, the combat specialist stops walking. He then turns towards the medic before adding. "Then once we make it out of here, we can find the Colonel, Dr. McKay and Teyla, and rescue Ronon as we first intended."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Tulls asks with some disbelief showing in his face. "I know you're a combat instructor and all that jazz, but hasn't Ronon kicked your buns in training every time you've faced him, Sarge?"

Crossing his arms and facing his teammate with a slight scowl, Johnson answers him "That's why I wanna get the Colonel and Teyla freed first. I might not stand a chance against Ronon, but I've had my arse handed to me by the Colonel enough times to know that he and Teyla are our best bet in this situation... I just hope the Colonel is not too badly injured though..." The auburn-haired man trails off in thought, memories of his Commanding Officer's screams coming to him.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he turns back towards the web with a resolute stare.

"Maybe if I find a weaker tendril I can saw through it."

"Haven't you already tried that?" Tulls drawls out then nods towards the Sergeant's feet with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I'm fine with you trying to start a new trend, but isn't it kinda reckless to walk around with only one laced boot?"

Johnson huffs in response, staring gloomily at the discarded pieces of his broken shoelace.

As the Sergeant looks up to answer his teammate, Major Lorne steps away from the wall, and his soft-spoken "Guys." silences them. He frowns towards the door to their cell at the scuffles sounding closer than when he first heard them. A Wraith appears at the entrance, but before the team realizes what is happening, Sanchez and Johnson crumple to the ground, unconscious, having been stunned by a second Wraith drone.

As the web opens, a third Wraith appears after its comrades, followed by none other than Tyre, sporting a satisfied smirk as he sees the Atlanteans. Two of the drones then enter the room and, using their stunners as incentive, force the conscious members of SGA-2 back and away from the fallen ones.

"Tyre?! What the hell is going on?" Major Lorne asks the Satedan traitor as he and Corporal Tulls are held back by the drones. The other man answers him with a smirk, before nodding at the other Wraith warrior accompanying him. It replies with a wordless grunt, before grabbing a hold of a leg from each of the unconscious Marines and leaving the cell with their limp bodies in tow.

As Tyre and another drone exit the cell, Tulls throws himself to the remaining Wraith guard, attempting to grab its stun rifle. Alas, the Wraith simply shoves the Corporal away from itself before stunning him with its weapon. Slightly turning its head and the muzzle of its stunner towards the Major, it waits a beat, then releases a scoff before turning on its heels and marching out the door, the web quickly closing behind it.

Quickly checking on his fallen comrade, the Major makes his way to the door before grabbing a hold of the webbed bars.

"Tyre! You'll regret this!" Lorne's furious scream echoes as the drone drags his two men out of sight. Only Tyre's low chuckles answer him as he leaves the two remaining Atlanteans helpless in their cell.

* * *

The dark corridors of the Wraith hideout are silent, shadows moving with what seems to be a life of their own as the ambient light flickers. A light shuffling sound breaks the silence, the fog that is flowing close to the ground swirling around booted feet that are carefully making their way through enemy territory.

Muffled sounds echoing the walls make them falter slightly. Tall shadows edging closer follow the deep grunting sounds of a Wraith drone duo, both armed but holding their stunner rifles in a loose grip. A slightly hitched breath makes one of the drones slow its walk to a stop, raising its weapon in a more ready manner before its head moves around, blank mask facing different directions as it tries to locate the origin of the sound.

The other Wraith, noticing that it is now walking alone, stops a couple of feet further down the corridor, before turning to look at its brother with an inquisitive grunt. A few moments of tensed silence later, the alert Wraith wordlessly shrugs before making its way forward again.

As both drones walk out of sight, Dr. Rodney McKay throws his friends a wide-eyed look of disbelief from his position against the wall.

"That was WAY too close" he whispers furiously. "What's the matter with you, Colonel "I'm so stealthy unless there are life-sucking aliens close by?"" the last of his tirade trails off as he gets a good look at the dark-haired pilot, noting the pallor of his friend's skin as he leans against the wall next to him.

"Are you ok?" he asks again, in a softer tone.

A tired smirk answers him, and Sheppard relaxes his white-knuckled hold on the Wraith stunner, before adding "Just peachy, McKay. But it's nice to know you care."

At Teyla's stern look thrown over the spluttering astrophysicist's shoulder, the Atlantean sobers up. "Alright, alright. I just got a bit dizzy back there..." He adds softly as he absent-mindedly rubs at his abused throat. "Time to keep going, back to our original positions. Let's hope we don't get any other close encounters like this..."

Unsteadily pushing away from the wall, he puts a hand against it, then once certain he's not going to face plant in front of his friends ( _That would really help my case, wouldn't it?_ he thinks sarcastically) he makes his way down the corridor into which they had ducked from the Wraith. After sharing a worried look, Teyla and Rodney follow suit, making as less noise as possible in the dark hallway.

* * *

Irate mutters escape Corporal Tulls as he paces their cell like a caged lion.

"Calm down, Corporal. Wearing yourself out won't help them. Save your energy and help me figure out a way to open this door." Major Lorne tells his fuming subordinate.

"But Sir!" the younger man answers him, a slight desperation colouring his voice, "We were already separated from Colonel Sheppard and his team! And now... those creepy aliens just took our teammates away!"

Making his way towards the Corporal, Lorne stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, Tulls, but we can't give up, alright? I know you specialize in explosives, but I'm sure we can find a..." the Major trails off as yet again he hears shuffling sounds coming from the sparsely lit corridor outside of their cell. Giving a slight push to the Corporal, he gives him a whispered order to "Hide, quick!" before heading towards the webbed entrance.

A long shadow begins to appear from his right, followed by two others. Giving a quick nod to the Corporal to be ready, he focuses on the shadows again, which are slowly edging closer.

Impatience wins and, letting a growl escape him, he shouts "Tyre! Get back here, you cowardly traitor! I'll give you what you deserve!"

* * *

At Lorne's shout, Sheppard throws a relieved look over his shoulder at his teammates, glad to have finally found the other team after what seemed like hours of aimlessly wandering the halls of the Wraith hideout, the stress of a few near encounters tensing their shoulders and the grip on their stolen weapons.

Noting the cell on their left, the Colonel does a quick sweep with his eyes to make sure there is no danger nearby, then as he slightly lowers his stunner, he takes a couple more steps towards it. As he reaches the entrance, he grins at his second-in-command, before frowning as he notices the widening of the other man's eyes.

* * *

Recognition widens the Major's eyes, before they dart to his right. His shouted "Tulls, no!" comes too late, as the Corporal swings with all his might at the form that appears on the other side of the webs of their door, in an attempt to subdue their supposed enemy.

His fist, while aimed a bit lower to account for Tyre's height, still manages to strike the Colonel in the side of the head, and the dark-haired pilot stumbles for a step before crumpling to the ground on his side with a grunt, his stunner skidding away. A gloomy hush envelops them as both teams stand there stunned by the latest events.

Teyla is the first to snap out of it and she hurriedly makes her way past Rodney towards her fallen friend, kneeling by his head.

"Colonel Sheppard? John?" She asks gently, trying to rouse him, but the man lies silent before her, unconscious once more.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! We come to rescue you and THAT's how you repay us?! Come on! Give the man a break, he's had enough already!" Reaching the Major at the cell's entrance, McKay's irate voice brings him back to their current situation.

Turning to face Corporal Tulls, the scientist's tirade trails off as he notices the pallor of the man's face and the upwards pull of his brows as he hides his lower face with his hand in horror.

"McKay, could you..." he lets out a sigh "Just get us out of here, alright?" Lorne's voice brings the Doctor's attention back to the Major.

The scientist simply throws him a slightly irritated look. He then turns on his heels and heads towards the door's control panel, walking past Teyla and the Colonel.

"Of course I can, who do you think you're talking to? Kavanagh?" Rolling his eyes at the thought, he starts hacking at the cover of the panel with his knife. Reaching the organic tendrils acting as connections, he looks them over then starts prying one out with his knife.

As he does, the light inside the cell starts to flicker. Lorne lifts his eyes to stare at them, frowning, before turning his gaze towards McKay, an eyebrow rising.

The shorter man splutters in indignation. "I've only done this once, alright?! And it was to close the door, not open it! Just- just give me a moment, ok?!"

Focusing once again on the panel, he keeps at it until, at last, the door gives a shudder and opens with a rustling sound.

Turning around and spinning the hand holding the knife with a flourish, McKay throws a "Et voilà!" before slightly bowing towards the Major. Ignoring the now freed men, he then makes his way towards his teammates, kneeling by Teyla at the Colonel's side.

"Anything?" He asks her, as he puts the knife in his belt before wringing his hands in worry for his friend.

Teyla, having followed his arrival at her side, pinches her lips in worry and simply shakes her head.

"No, Rodney. I'm afraid he hasn't awoken yet. This is not good, he probably has a concussion if he is still unconscious..."

As she finishes her sentence, she glances up, looking at Major Lorne bringing Corporal Tulls over to them, the younger man still looking shaken at the results of his action.

"Are you two alright, Major?"

Nodding at her, Lorne tells her about his two missing team members. "I really don't know why Tyre or the Wraith would need them..."

Her face grave, Teyla is about to answer when a low moan brings her attention back to the man laying in front of her.

"Finally! Sheppard! Come on, wake up, we have to move!" Rodney states, gripping his friend's shoulder as he slightly shakes the man.

As Teyla shushes Rodney with a stern look, the Colonel frowns before managing to open his eyes.

"Ugh... wha' 'penned?" As he speaks, his left hand lifts from the ground to touch the now sore spot on the side of his head. Struggling a bit, he begins pushing himself up using his right arm, Rodney supporting him as he sits up.

At the Colonel's slightly slurred words, Teyla sends a concerned look over his head at Rodney. From his spot at the Major's side, Corporal Tulls seems to snap out of his guilt-filled stupor. Standing to attention, he sets his once diverted eyes back on Colonel Sheppard.

"I- I'm so sorry, Sir! I thought it was Tyre coming back! I... I tried to..." Unable to finish his sentence, Tulls once again looks away from his commanding officer, biting his lower lip in shame.

Frowning at the stuttering Corporal, Sheppard, still leaning against Rodney, turns his head towards the scientist before asking in a croak.

"What's he on 'bout?" Looking back at Tulls, the Colonel fails to see his friend's worried frown as he notices his second-in-command. "Lorne! There y'are!"

Giving the other man a crooked smile, he continues. "Wait, wasn't there four of you last 'ime? Where 're Sanchez and Johns'n? Could've sworn they 're with us earl'er" he trails off with a mumble.

"John." The Athosian's soft spoken voice and hand on his arm causes the Colonel to bring his attention back to his teammate and he looks at her, a questioning look raising his brow.

"Allow me to explain what has transpired. Sergeant Johnson and Lieutenant Sanchez were taken from their cell by Wraith under the orders of Tyre a couple of hours ago. Major Lorne and Corporal Tulls were persuaded that they were coming back when we made our appearance and you were struck in their attempt to escape confinement."

Blinking at her, Sheppard's eyes dart from her face to her hand, before resting on her injured arm. Frowning, he silently ponders on the new information.

Sitting up suddenly, the Colonel makes a move to grab at Rodney's hand as he struggles to get to his feet. Stumbling a bit to the side he manages to straighten from the dizzy spell as his friend stands with him and holds him steady.

"Easy, easy! We don't need you back on the floor and I definitely don't need a reminder of what you ate this morning." The scientist adds with a grimace at the thought.

"We need to find'em and get to Ron'n." the pilot rasps out. "I've had en'ugh of this place"

"Oh really? Are you insinuating that our hospitality is lacking, Colonel Sheppard?" A hissing voice rings out, startling the members of the Atlantis expedition and their Athosian friend.

Turning to face the newly arrived owner of said voice, the team is stunned to see the Wraith commander, accompanied by two Drones, Tyre and none other than Sergeant Johnson and Lieutenant Sanchez. As Teyla gets to her feet, she notices the blank looks of the two Marines.

"What have you done to them?" The Athosian asks the Wraith commander, feeling anger rise within her at the sight.

"I shall spare you the details, for you have proven to be more resourceful than I thought and I would not want this information to get out just yet. Just know that your dear friends are now under my control and there is no way for you to get them back." It answers her with a sickening smile.

Gesturing towards the haggard-looking Marines it adds "Wouldn't you agree that a force that obeys without asking questions is simply better?"

Noticing the Atlanteans's expressions, it lets out a throaty laugh before sobering up. Letting out a last chuckle, it points a hand towards them and orders "Alright, enough with the useless chatter. Take Colonel Sheppard and put the others back in a cell. I don't need them interfering again. And remove their weapons before I remove your brainless heads." Showing its teeth in a humourless smile, the Wraith gives them one last look before turning on its heels and heading back towards its den.

Following their leader with their eyes, the two drones finally turn back towards the Atlanteans, but before they can complete their movement, Teyla fires on them with her hand-held stunner. Mere moments later, Lorne, having acquired Sheppard's fallen stunner, joins her and together they manage to stun the two drones with multiple hits. As they fall, Tyre, having lifted his own weapon, fires three shots in quick succession. Stumbling a bit, Major Lorne, Corporal Tulls and Doctor McKay slump to the ground, stunned. Adjusting her aim, Teyla uses his distraction to fire her stunner at the treacherous Satedan. Stepping back, Tyre manages to avoid a full blast but Teyla's shot strikes his firing arm, making him drop his gun.

Growling in anger, Tyre steps back once more and, seeing Sheppard drop to his knees to get to the stunner Lorne had used, rolls to his right away from his targets. Getting back to his feet, he points at them and orders with a snarl. "Get him and take her out, NOW!"

At his words, the two Marines start forward. The lieutenant, already being close to Teyla, grabs at her weapon and they begin fighting for it. As Sheppard turns back towards them, stunner in his hands, he manages to get a shot out, striking Tyre and taking him out.

As they continue their fight over the hand-held stunner, Teyla begins struggling because of her injured arm. Noticing this, Sanchez tightens his hold on the stunner and, twisting a bit on himself, manages to turn into Teyla's space and pushes into her arms with his elbow, straining the young woman's injury. Grimacing a bit, she lets out a slight cry at the pain flaring up her broken arm.

Hearing her, Sheppard flicks his gaze at her, before focusing once more on the approaching Sergeant. As he nears him, the Colonel throws his weight backwards, pushing himself back on his feet.

Lifting the muzzle of his weapon, the shot is sent wide as Johnson strikes the stunner sideways with his palm, making Sheppard fumble with it. Blinking heavily to clear his still hooded vision, Atlantis' military commander leans back a bit before lifting his right leg and forcefully pushing his opponent away from him. The force of the push/kick sends Sergeant Johnson stumbling backwards, struggling to keep his feet under him. As he is thrown back, he tightens his grip on the Wraith weapon, forcefully removing it from Sheppard's grip. Unbalanced by the pull and subsequent loss of his weapon, the dark-haired man stumbles forward before going down on one knee.

Looking up, his eyes widen as he realizes that the combat instructor has already regained his footing and is aiming the stunner at him. Letting out a curse, he propels himself forward from his half-kneel into a roll, grunting as his impact with the ground, as well practiced as it is, sends a stab of pain through his chest from his bruised ribs.

His maneuver brings him to the Sergeant's side. Using his crouched position to his advantage, he lays his right hand flat on the floor. Leaning on it, he spins clockwise, left leg extended, and sweeps the other man off his feet and sends him crashing to the floor. As he falls, Johnson's head hits the floor with a dull thud and he lays there, slightly dazed.

Before the Marine can regain his senses, Colonel Sheppard grabs the stunner from his loosened grip and, aiming it downwards, stuns him.

As Sergeant Johnson goes limp, Sheppard lets out a relieved puff of breath. Shaking a bit from the adrenaline rush, he looks up from the man on the ground to Teyla and Sanchez, who seem to be at a standstill, the hand-held stunner having been dropped to the ground away from them during their scuffle.

Now on his knees, the Colonel sits on his heels then raises his weapon. Taking a moment to stabilize his aim, he lifts the muzzle a bit more and pulls the trigger. The released beam of energy makes its way through the air, lighting Teyla's face in a blue hue as it strikes her opponent and leaves Lieutenant Sanchez unconscious once more, slumped on his left side where he has fallen to the floor.

Silence reigns once again, for a moment, before being punctuated by heavy breathing from both warriors that are still standing, or kneeling, after the fight.

Throwing his head back and letting out a heartfelt groan, Sheppard lowers the Wraith stun rifle on his thighs. Straightening his back and neck, he looks at Teyla inquisitively, raising an eyebrow in question, still unable to form words as he tries to get his breathing back under control.

Holding her injured arm close to her body, Sanchez having managed to tear it free from the makeshift sling, Teyla straightens a bit, before taking a couple of deep breaths and regaining her center.

Smiling softly at her team leader, she answers his unspoken question. "I will be alright, Colonel. He has managed to strike my arm a couple of times and although it is still painful and sensitive, I believe it has not been injured any further. Thank you for taking him out."

Letting a relieved smile light his face up, Sheppard quickly sobers up as he glances around at the amount of unconscious people surrounding them.

"Ah crap" he mutters. "Now we have to move them out of the way..." he adds as he glances behind him at the still open door of Major Lorne's previous holding cell.

Grunting a bit as he stands up, he glances at Teyla once again.

Removing a stubborn strand of hair that keeps sticking to her now split lip, the Athosian warrior makes her way towards her comrade.

"I will help you move Tyre and the Wraiths into the cell, Colonel. But..." she trails off, before picking up once more, a trace of uncertainty tainting her voice. "What shall we do with the Sergeant and the Lieutenant? They seemed to be under some sort of influence, or control, from the Wraith. We must be careful when we deal with them."

Smiling grimly back at her, Sheppard answers "Well, I was hoping... " clearing his throat to be able to speak more clearly, he continues "I was hoping McKay would be awake by then and that he would manage to figure out a way to snap them out of it, or at least open another cell so we don't need to stick them in the same one as those Wraith..."

Nodding in agreement, Teyla heads towards the fallen Wraith drones. Crouching between the two, she removes all the weapons she can find from their body, before standing up once more, a drone's arm in her grasp.

Having made his way to the drones as well, Sheppard carefully bends over and grabs the other arm. Conversing with a look, the two Atlanteans slowly but surely pull their burden across the hallway towards the cell, beginning the tedious task of cleaning up the hostiles.

Some time later, once they have finally dropped Tyre's still body inside the cell, Teyla and the Colonel step back, both breathing heavily once again due to the strain of their latest activity.

As he shakily lifts a hand to wipe at his now damp brow, Sheppard lets out a breath. He then gathers two stunners and hands a hand-held one to his friend.

Nodding her thanks, Teyla heads over to their fallen teammates to stand guard over them, as the Colonel sits down at the entrance of the still open cell, his stunner aimed at the three bodies inside. As a thought strikes him, he fires a couple of shots at each Wraith and a single one at the treacherous Satedan. Throwing a look over his shoulder at his Athosian teammate, he grins at her raised eyebrow.

"Just a precaution..." he tells her, before turning back towards his charges.

 _Now, we wait..._


End file.
